A group of former footballers including former national team skipper-turned coach Raju Shakya has opened up a multi-purpose sports facility in National Sports Centre.

Located in Chyasal, the facility includes a futsal arena, short-course swimming pool, tennis court and gymnasium. Shakya, also the president of the Centre, said the objective of the facility was to provide training to aspiring players.

“We are planning to train young footballers under my own supervision in the futsal arena. We will also be hiring swimming and tennis coaches as per the flow in the two facilities,” said Shakya. “We aim to build a good base in these sports and for that we have to begin from grassroots.”

According to Shakya, the other aim of the facility was to convey a message that

there is still life left after retirement of players. “We want to prove that we can do a lot even after retirement,” added Shakya.

The group has invested over Rs 30 million to set up the facility. Meanwhile, Nepal Sports Journalists Forum defeated hosts NSC 13-5 in a friendly futsal game.